Anti-recall Clinton to stump for WI gov's ouster

BROOKFIELD – Former U.S. President Bill Clinton is set to lead a rally supporting the recall of Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker on Friday in Milwaukee, even though the retired Democrat hasn’t always been a fan of the process.

Clinton will stump for Milwaukee Democratic Mayor Tom Barrett as he seeks to oust Walker in Tuesday’s gubernatorial recall. Logistics for the event are not yet available, though the Democrat’s website promised to deliver details shortly.

The former president is the highest-profile figure to stump for either man in the recall face off.

Clinton hasn’t always been high on the recall procedure however. As the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel initially noticed, the 42nd president spoke against recalls as recently as 2003, when defending California’s Democratic Gov. Gray Davis.

“I don’t want you to become a laughingstock, a carnival or the beginning of a circus in America where we just throw people out whenever they make a tough decision,” Clinton said at a Sept. 14, 2003, anti-recall rally, according to CNN.

Clinton added that a Davis recall would “create a circumstance where nobody ever makes a hard decision again.”

An email and a phone call to Barrett’s press shop about Clinton’s comments were not returned. Additionally, a call to Graeme Zielinski, spokesman for the Democratic Party of Wisconsin, was not returned.